Podcast

Flight 045. Want a million frequent flyer miles? You have to be born on a Cebu Pacific flight or win the Olympic Gold for Singapore. British Airways charters a 747 to fly the athletes home, but no word if they also cut the second hot meal like on all their other routes. In the US, being a multi-medal winner won’t get you upgraded on United, but, unlike Delta, they won’t mistake New Mexico for Mexico. Airbus is going widebody for regional flights, but also planning flying taxis. Will those accept smart carry-ons and augmented reality amenity kits?

Flight 044. Want to look like a fool in airports? Play Pokemon Go or ride a motorized carry-on. Asia on top, the US way behind: the Skytrax world's best airlines and world's best airports awards tell no surprise. It’s finally game over for the US4 against the ME3. Alex eats like a king and sleeps like a baby in his premium journey to Shanghai with Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon. Paul tests the sole European short haul lie-flat seat in the ex-BMI A321 and flies a brand new 777-300ER for 22 minutes. Drones will offer faster turnarounds for Airbus aircrafts, and last mile deliveries for Amazon UK.

Flight 043. The major US airlines seem to be losing the lobbying battle against the middle-eastern carriers. The EU calls for even more open skies between the two sides of the Atlantic. SWISS gets its brand new Bombardier CSeries. Boeing might well include the 747 in a deal with Iran. India leads the way in self-sufficient solar powered airport. The uncertain future of air travel in the UK after Brexit. Air Serbia launches a new US route, displaying the network power of Etihad. Emirates hires Christoph Mueller, will he become their new CEO?

Flight 042. Paul flies and compares the A350 to the 787. Alex adores the food on Alitalia. Dubai International has a drone problem whilst Gatwick has a runway hole issue. Tim Clarke sees the end of the good old days of commercial aviation. Alaska keeps changing its mind about Virgin America. Horizon has been flying without sinks for 8 years! Austrian offers fixed price upgrades for its European flights. Alex gets a kick out of taking off at City Airport, fellow passengers agree. Paul falls in love with the business lounge at Hamad International. Singapore gets back in the ultra-long-haul game. United introduces a new international business class, finally catching up with the rest of the world. Boeing can’t let Airbus win Iran alone.

Flight 041. A new low cost alliance shakes things up in South East Asia. Paul does his first round the world trip, in First. JetLovers goes 3D. Airbus goes A3. Alex and Bourdain share some airplane food similarities. Qantas finally introduces women pilot uniforms. Singapore Airlines and Air France wanted to get close, Lufthansa said no way. Ryanair opens a new chapter by re-shaping its route model. Hotels get the cabin feeling. New York wants to fire the TSA, whose queues are getting out of hand.

Flight 039. King size bed seats, throne seats, configurable bench seats, new inventions in a world of reduced leg room. How consolidation in the US skies might hurt choice for the consumer. Another smart luggage, one we might actually buy. A quite epic Emirates business class experience. Wow Air will fly you to Snapchat for them. Solar Impulse crosses the Pacific Ocean. The non-story of a drone hitting a plane. The turnaround CEO of Malaysian quits after less than a year.

Flight 038. The story behind Virgin America’s death: why Alaska bought it, why JetBlue didn’t, why Alaska might regret it, why it made sense for the investors to sell, how JetBlue goes after Virgin’s passengers, how we all lose out, and what will happen to the brand. A bit of hope for the 747. The dire state of the TSA. The confidence behind Emirates’ new booking system. A pillow that calls itself smart. KLM is boarding the new Facebook Messenger. Warheads board an Air Serbia plane. A Tesla and a 737 race each other.

Flight 037. Who will buy Virgin America and will the brand survive? Airspace, or when Airbus brands its widebody cabins for the travelers. Ryanair decides to become nice. Is Virgin Atlantic finally mulling a long haul low cost product? As crews misbehave in flight, they might love the new A350. Boom, the startup that wants to solve supersonic travel. When the UK has a shortage of biscuits, it sends 777s to the rescue. The infamous hijacker selfie. Aces High for the Iron Maiden 747.

Flight 036. The most hated airlines on social media. The future of everywhere security screening in airports. The rather incomprehensible new Delta ads. Automated check-ins for everyone by the Lufthansa Innovation Hub. The EU is fed up about the US stalling Norwegian, the transatlantic route disruptor. A #stopover in Iceland. Self-tracking your hold luggage. A new lobbying european airline alliance. A flaw in TSA Pre?

Flight 035. Rimowa thinks the luggage tag needs an electronic reinvention. American Airlines thinks Gogo’s wifi is way too slow. Some think calls should be banned altogether over US skies. Everybody seem to think the A340 needs to be scrapped as soon as possible. A pilot thinks anyone could land a 737 after watching his video but HAL thinks it can teach you in 10 minutes via brainwaves. We think a plan to annihilate timezones makes no sense at all.

Flight 033. The experience of flying JAL and ANA. Airbus finally gets new A380 orders. The fantastic Virgin America online booking experience. Smart carry-ons are starting to cause problems at security. IranAir gets a new fleet. The race of the longest commercial flight in the world is on. Boeing’s earnings are flying, its 737 MAX too. What’s the best Star Alliance business seat?

Flight 032. Air France retires its last 747. Uber might enter the travel planning game. Will commercial aircrafts ditch one pilot? The most entertaining man in the aviation industry: Qatar Airways’ CEO. An app to switch seats. A motorized carry-on that follows you around. Airbus announces strong results, and a technology for drone avoidance.

Flight 031. The mystery of the British Airways flights avoiding French airspace. ANA flies the Star Wars crew from LAX to LHR. No more hover boards in planes. Kayak launches Snap, the SMS-based booking service. ATL reaches 100m passengers in 2015. How many economy seats can you cram in a 747 or an A380? Disembarking a 737 with a ladder. Don’t believe everything you read, MH132 didn’t get lost in Australia.

Flight 030. Singapore Changi goes Star Wars. The battle of travel planning apps. The best and worst U.S. airports in 2015. Who abandoned three 747s at KUL? The special Airbus Kinder chocolate eggs. Air India can’t pay for 787 spare parts. Why Emirates might never join an alliance. The inaugural Qatar Airways A350 thinks the JFK runway is too short. China builds more than 30 airports whilst London can’t decide on a runway.

Flight 029. Living in Singapore Changi Airport for 7 months. Kudos to Ethiopian for its all female crew flight. JetBlue goes Amazon for entertainment. A luggage made for wine lovers. The billionaire who earned 170 million USD worth of air miles. The renaissance of supersonic jets. KLM to use Facebook Messenger for customer service. Putting passengers in a container? Airbus strikes again with some insane patent.

Flight 028. EasyJet goes Star Trek with its uniforms. Air Astana shows the iPad is a best of class IFE. The potential new reality of airport security after the terror attacks. Twitter as the best customer channel for airlines. Norwegian shows how a website should be done. Testing Etihad’s upgrade bidding system. Turkish aces the IFE interface. Should liquids still be put out at security?

Flight 027. Technologies for better passenger flows at Dubai airports. Get paid to advertise on your carry-on. A smart travel lock. Don’t post your boarding passes on Instagram. CIA advises you to keep your story simple at airports. The inevitable downsizing of Air France. The success of India’s Indigo. The grandeur of Etihad’s Residence. Russia’s new aircraft gets it first orders. The last flight of US Airways.

Flight 026. Two US dollars to travel around Asia. Bitcoins for the Polish airline LOT. Spotify on board at Virgin America. A new stylish entrant in the smart carry-on space. A service that finds you the best airline deals, unless you beat them. A new ranking tells which airlines treat passenger best when it comes for compensation. A farm at JFK. A mysterious Terminal 6 at LHR. The backstories of a pilot in Turkey through Instagram.